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INDYCAR: Silly Season portal *updated*
By alley - Nov 8, 2016, 7:22 PM ET

INDYCAR: Silly Season portal *updated*

Silly Season fans were gifted a rare treat this year, with an unusual amount of desirable seats becoming vacant - including one at each of the traditional 'big three'. Even more unusual was how quickly all of those seats were confirmed, meaning that the drivers who are still unemployed face a particularly fraught battle to land one of the few remaining spots. To help you make sense of it all, RACER has produced this handy-one stop guide to all the driver movements ahead of 2017. We'll keep you updated as various moves develop.

AJ FOYT ENTERPRISES

NO. 14 CARLOS MUNOZ UNCONFIRMED

NO. 41 CONOR DALY EXPECTED TO BE CONFIRMED

With the Newgarden- and Montoya-shaped pieces of the Silly Season puzzle having now settled, and Takuma Sato preparing to be announced as

replacement for Carlos Munoz

at Andretti, the two seats at the

newly Chevy-aligned

Foyt have become a major focal point for the raft of drivers chasing one of the rapidly-dwindling available rides for 2017.
Pretty much everyone with a racing license was linked to the team, starting with Munoz himself, who has been strongly tipped to replace Sato in a straight swap. So if that's as probable as we're led to to believe, then that only left the No.41 seat looking for a new owner ... and

Conor Daly happily obliged

.

ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT

NO. 26 TAKUMA SATO EXPECTED TO BE CONFIRMED

NO. 27 MARCO ANDRETTI CONFIRMED

NO. 28 RYAN HUNTER-REAY CONFIRMED

Ryan Hunter-Reay's deal with the team has been

extended through to 2020

, and Marco Andretti is similiarly secure in the No.27 for next year. Although there has been no official confirmation from the team yet, multiple well-placed sources have indicated that

Takuma Sato will take up residence

in the No.26 formerly occupied by Carlos Munoz.

ANDRETTI HERTA AUTOSPORT

NO. 98 ALEXANDER ROSSI CONFIRMED

The rumor mill briefly whirled with all sorts of potential opportunities for Rossi, but that was all put to bed relatively swiftly: Simon Pagenaud was still shaking confetti out of his racesuit when it was confirmed that Rossi will

remain with the Andretti/Herta team

that helped him win the Indy 500 and rookie of the year honors. Next year, he'll have some additional reinforcement in the form of engineer Jeremy Milless, who will

move across from ECR

, where he oversaw Josef Newgarden's rise to Penske-dom.

CHIP GANASSI RACING

NO. 8 MAX CHILTON UNCONFIRMED

NO. 9 SCOTT DIXON CONFIRMED

NO. 10 TONY KANAAN CONFIRMED

NO. 83 CHARLIE KIMBALL CONFIRMED

During the last few races of the season, the paddock was rife with chatter that Ganassi would return to Honda in 2017 - speculation that Ganassi eventually addressed by ...

returning to Honda

.
With Scott Dixon's place already secure, there was a big question mark over whether Tony Kanaan would remain with the team. The Brazilian was known to have been keeping his options open, but ultimately decided to

sign a new deal

for 2017. With Charlie Kimball having signed an extension at the end of 2014 and showing every sign of maintaining his strong relationship with longtime sponsor Novo Nordisk, the only grey area surrounds Max Chilton in the No.8. He told RACER a few weeks ago that he planned to start discussions about a

new contract

as soon as the season was over, and at around the same time, the team expressed a wish to sign the Brit to a

multi-year deal

. Several other drivers are known to be monitoring the situation, though.

DALE COYNE RACING

NO. 18 SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS CONFIRMED

NO. 19 ED JONES EXPECTED TO BE CONFIRMED

The first real shock of the silly season came in the form of a bespectacled, trophy-laden Frenchman, when four-time Champ Car champion Sebastien Bourdais ended uncertainty over his future at KVSH by

decamping to Coyne

.

And the second seat? Given Coyne's recent history of waiting until about four hours before the first session at St Pete to settle its line-up, it might seem strange to think of how many drivers were having sleepless nights over the No.19. But that speaks to two things. First, there really aren't very many open doors for 2017. And second, the engineering changes taking place during this off-season point to a team that is preparing to be a

far more consistent force

next year.

That latter point will be enthusiastically welcomed by reigning Indy Lights champion Ed Jones, who should soon

be confirmed as Bourdais' teammate

.

ED CARPENTER RACING

NO. 20 ED CARPENTER CONFIRMED (OVALS)

NO. 20 UNKNOWN (ROAD/STREET)

NO. 21 JR HILDEBRAND CONFIRMED

As the guy with his name on the door, Carpenter will drive the No. 20 on ovals for as long as he wants to, and the only question mark over that side of the garage is what he'll do with the car on the road/street weekends.

Meanwhile, JR Hildebrand's solid performances in a third ECR entry at Indy over the past couple of years have been rewarded with a

full-time drive

; the Californian's first since Panther Racing went into the barriers in 2013. Hildebrand has long been eager for another chance to prove himself, and in the seat that put Josef Newgarden on the map, he'll have a solid platform with which to do so.

KVSH RACING

NO. 11 UNKNOWN

It's probably safe to assume that KVSH was blindsided by Sebastien Bourdais' plans to return to Coyne next year, given that Jimmy Vasser had been making

optimistic noises

about keeping the Frenchman just two weeks earlier.
But in the same story, Vasser also admitted that the team doesn't have its financial ducks in a row for next year yet. It was this uncertainty that spooked Bourdais, and which leaves a question mark over the team's plans for 2017.

Vasser told RACER that James 'Sulli' Sullivan

might not be with the team next year

, taking 'KVSH' back to simple 'KV'. But the changes don't stop there, with Trevor Carlin considering using a partnership with some iteration of KV to help ease his team's planned move from Indy Lights to IndyCar.

RAHAL LETTERMAN LANIGAN

NO. 15 GRAHAM RAHAL CONFIRMED

Team co-owner Bobby Rahal expresses an interest in adding a full-time teammate for Graham Rahal every year, but only if doing so will also benefit the No. 15 program. If that driver and their budget materialize, look for a second car.

SCHMIDT PETERSON MOTORSPORT

NO. 5 JAMES HINCHCLIFFE CONFIRMED

NO. 7 MIKHAIL ALESHIN CONFIRMED

Hinchcliffe's current contract runs through 2017, and Aleshin has signed on for a

third year in Schmidt colors

. So, no movement there. For a few weeks we had the tantilizing prospect that Schmidt might

add a third car

, but following Ganassi's move to Honda, it now appears that HPD's engine supply has

potentially reached its limit

.

TEAM PENSKE

NO. 1 SIMON PAGENAUD CONFIRMED

NO. 2 JOSEF NEWGARDEN CONFIRMED

NO. 3 HELIO CASTRONEVES CONFIRMED

NO. 12 WILL POWER CONFIRMED

NO. 29 JUAN PABLO MONTOYA CONFIRMED, INDY 500 ONLY

Rumors were followed by denials, which were followed by more rumors, which were followed by lots of Josef Newgarden doing his best to pretend that he never even heard of Team Penske, never mind committed his future to it. So it was a great relief to all when it was finally confirmed that the 25-year-old has indeed

signed on to replace Juan Pablo Montoya

in the No.2 entry.

Or at least, it was a great relief to all except for Montoya himself. The Colombian certainly wasn't blindsided by the news, and his desire to remain in the series full-time prompted him to sound out opportunities elsewhere in the paddock. Arguably, the most appealing available seat was the No.10 at Ganassi, and when Tony Kanaan slammed that door shut by renewing his deal, Montoya reassessed his options and elected to accept Penske's offer of an Indy-only seat.

POTENTIAL PLAYERS

SHELBY BLACKSTOCK
2016: Indy Lights
The 26-year-old now has two Lights seasons with Andretti under his belt. He says that he's in no rush to move up to IndyCar full-time just yet, but is

shopping around for a drive

in next year's Indy 500.

MATT BRABHAM
2016: Indy 500



Brabham impressed many with a solid debut on the big stage at Indy this year, despite running with a start-up team. The Australian/American is keen for more IndyCar seat time, but with all signs from PIRTEK Team Murray boss Brett 'Crusher' Murray pointing to this year's effort being a one-off, Brabham is going to have to find opportunities elsewhere. In the meantime, he has Stadium Super Trucks and outings at the wheel of the IndyCar two-seater to keep himself busy.
GABBY CHAVES
2016: IndyCar, part-time with Dale Coyne Racing

The quick Colombian was unable to find the backing needed to build upon his solid 2015 rookie season with Herta, but managed to salvage something from this year by making a handful of appearances with Coyne. Highly regarded by many in the paddock, his prospects will once again be determined entirely by budget.

RC ENERSON
2016: IndyCar, part-time with Dale Coyne Racing

The Floridian pulled the plug on his Indy Lights program mid-season in favor of an IndyCar debut at Mid-Ohio with Coyne, and then extended the deal to include Watkins Glen and Sonoma. His performances to date have already put him onto the radar of many, but will he have the funding to back it up?

JACK HARVEY
2016: Did not race full-time

The two-time Lights runner-up has two IndyCar tests with Schmidt under his belt. Harvey's ambitions of making his race debut in a one-off at Watkins Glen fell through, but he is continuing to work on trying to put together a deal for next year and remains

optimistic about his prospects

.

SAGE KARAM
2016: Did not race full-time



After parting ways with Ganassi at the end of 2015, Karam found a home in sportscars in the new F Performance Lexus – only for that program to be delayed until 2017. Karam is expected to remain in the Lexus camp, but will continue to look for opportunities in IndyCar. It's believed that he already has one potential Indy-only opportunity in the works, and Jimmy Vasser is also thought to be a fan.

LUCA FILIPPI
2016: IndyCar, part-time with Dale Coyne Racing

Filippi already has a lot on his hands for 2017, having just become a father for the second time in less than two years. But the peripatetic Italian is still keen to press on with his hopes of establishing something resembling a permanent home on the IndyCar grid. He has some budget available, but like so many others, it's enough money to start a conversation; not enough to end one.

SPENCER PIGOT
2016: IndyCar, part-time with ECR & RLL

Pigot earned a three-race deal with RLL for winning last year's Indy Lights title, and has since added a suite of road/street course appearances with ECR. In the absence of easy access to funding, Pigot famously made his way up the ladder by winning a succession of Mazda scholarships, but now that he's in an IndyCar, the job is to make sure he can stay there. Just ask Gabby Chaves.

ORIOL SERVIA
2016: IndyCar, part-time with Team Penske & RLL


The Spanish veteran hasn't been a big part of the Silly Season conversation up until this point - but that could quickly change if RLL decides to add a second car.

DEAN STONEMAN
2016: Indy Lights
Another contender for the Lights title and accompanying IndyCar promotion, Stoneman had has first taste of an IndyCar when he jumped into Andretti's No. 28 at the Watkins Glen test in August. The Brit lost a couple of years of his career to illness, and at 26, is looking to get into a frontline series

sooner rather than later

.
SANTI URRUTIA
2016: Indy Lights

Urrutia's late surge of form in Lights made him the guy to beat as the championship entered its final stretch, although he ultimately finished second to Ed Jones. He tested an IndyCar for Schmidt at Mid-Ohio in July.

ZACH VEACH
2016: Indy Lights



Veach returned to the cockpit in Lights this year after sitting out 2015, and added three victories to the three wins he earned in 2014. The 21-year-old impressed mightily when he drove Josef Newgarden's ECR car at the rookie test at Sonoma, but needs to find a budget to match his ambitions.
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